A hastily abandoned agricultural estate from Hasmonean times was discovered in the Galilee

May 25, 2022   

A 2,100-year-old agricultural estate - dating back to the Hasmonean period, which was uncovered in an impressive state of preservation - and inside it objects that appear to have been hastily abandoned, was discovered near the Arbel Stream in the Eastern Galilee. Archaeological excavations by the Israel Antiquities Authority for the new water transport project to the north, funded by the Mekorot company, discovered, alongside the structure, dozens of loom weights used for weaving cloth, large clay storage vessels, and agricultural tools made of iron, including picks of various sizes, a sickle for harvesting, and more. In addition, coins were discovered in the excavation that date the estate to the second half of the 2nd century BCE. The director of the excavation, Dr. Amani Abu-Hamid of the Israel Antiquities Authority: "We were fortunate to discover a time capsule that seemed to have stopped: the objects we discovered remained where the site's residents had recently left them, and it appears that they were abandoned all at once, perhaps due to the threat of battle; the loom weights were still on the shelf, and the storage jars were found intact. "We know from historical sources that in those days the Hasmonean kingdom spread to large areas of the country, and there is a possibility that the abandonment of the estate is related to these events, but this still needs to be investigated in depth. At this stage, it is difficult to determine the identity of the residents of the site." [Gallery]

Photo: Dafna Gazit, Israel Antiquities Authority

Abu-Hamid adds: "The agricultural estate, whose area was 30*30 square meters, is an important discovery, because the Hellenistic period and the Hasmonean culture are almost unknown in the Galilee. The discovery closes an archaeological gap between periods, and apparently gives expression to historical events that took place in this area during the 2nd century BCE. Little is known about the expansion of the Hasmonean kingdom towards the Galilee, and we believe that the research of the discovery before us will shed further light on these unknown days in the region." The site also discovered building foundations, tools and artifacts from the beginning of the Kingdom of Israel - the 10th-9th centuries BCE. All of these will be studied later.